OBJECTIVES: The overall objectives of the project are to investigate the preferences and decisions of expectant parents in regard to health care. The research in the first year has focused on the couples' desires and goals for obstetric and pediatric health-care services. For the second (current) year, the planned research will evaluate the willingness of couples to become involved in making medical decisions; the research will also investigate the effect of this involvement on couples' assessment of risk and their attribution of responsibility. SIGNIFICANCE: The overall importance of the research conducted thus far can be described at two levels. At a specific level, a number of findings relevant to the health-care concerns of expectant couples have been obtained. For instance, couples have consistently indicated the importance of the "ability to communicate" with health-care professionals. In contrast, an equally consistent finding has been the relative unimportance to couples of "training and medical experience." This result was somewhat surprising given that many popular and professional sources recommend reliance on training and experience factors in selecting health-care personnel. At a more general level of significance, the research has shown the usefulness of a decision making analysis of health-care choices. Expectant couples have demonstrated that they have definite values and preferences in regard to their health care. Moreover, at least for the couples in this research, there is a strong desire to become involved in making medical decisions.